LONG BEDIAN: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah yesterday rubbished accusations on social media that the state GPS government had helped to set up a ‘Kerajaan Perompak’ (government of robbers).
He said the allegation was way off the mark.
“The state government was requested to help choose the new prime minister so we gave our support to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin. We did not form the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government led by him. We’ve not joined the alliance. We’re merely being friendly to it,” he stressed.
He was speaking before performing an earth-breaking ceremony for several Highland Development Agency (HDA) projects for Long Bedian sub-district.
“The PH government caused its own collapse,” he said.
According to him, Sarawak initially supported former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad.
“But like Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari had said, Tun Mahathir kept on changing his stance which made the situation complicated,” he said.
Uggah also said GPS leaders visited Muhyiddin after he was appointed the eighth prime minister.
“It was a very cordial visit. He thanked us for our support. Abang Johari told him how the state felt about its rights under the MA63 which is a crucial issue to the state government. Muhyiddin…he appreciates our views,” Uggah said.
On HDA, he said it was the brainchild of the chief minister who wanted to expedite rural development in a more systematic way state-wide.
“We’ve three such agencies and each had been given RM1.5 billion initially for infrastructural development.
“For HDA, tenders for the construction of the first 12 roads costing RM283 million had been called. More will follow,” he said.
Uggah said the government was prepared to give more future allocations to the agencies to do projects like power and water supplies, repairing dilapidated schools and income generating agricultural programmes.
“We’re planning to set up a CPPC (collecting, processing and packaging centre) in Long Lama to help farmers sell their products. We’ll identify the state and NCR land that we can develop as the area has huge potentials.”
He called on landowners to cooperate and give full support to the government and not be easily swayed by instigators.
Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau, who spoke earlier, said the RM1.5 billion allocation for HDA would be used to implement 49 projects in both his and Mulu constituencies.
He said Telang Usan would get 17 roads and six water supply projects costing a total of RM750 million.
